Mike Cox - Event Chair

Operations Manager, Association of Employment & Learning Providers

After 13 years in retail purchasing and supply, Mike became an assessor for apprenticeships with TBG Learning in 1999. He soon moved onto various development roles with learndirect, RNID and then LSN where he headed up the bidding and development team, helping design support programmes and research in areas including Train to Gain, Citizenship, Diplomas, Key Skills, Functional Skills and Foundation Learning. He joined AELP in February 2013.

Mike is married with 2 children and lives in rural Kent.

Elisabeth Baines

National Funding Development and New Programmes, Education Funding Agency


Elisabeth works in Funding Development at the Education Funding Agency, and prior to that at the Young People’s Learning Agency , and has led on the development of the revised 16-19 funding formula.

Before working for the YPLA she worked for the Learning and Skills Council at the national office in various leadership roles.

Elisabeth has worked for the Education Department of a Local Authority and earlier in her career has delivered learning in both the public and private sector. 

Sue Southwood

Programme Manager Professional Standards and Workforce Development, The Education and Training Foundation

Sue has lead responsibility for the Foundation’s work on maths, English and learners with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND). Before joining the Foundation in September 2014, Sue was Head of Basic Skills at NIACE where she worked for 9 years. Sue began her career as a Literacy and GCSE English teacher for Norfolk County Council.

An experienced manager with over 25 years’ experience in the sector, Sue has led a variety of national programmes to develop and improve practice and has written several publications. Prior to joining NIACE, Sue held a number of posts including, Curriculum Manager for City and Islington College and spending a year in Spain as an EFL Teacher.

Sue set up and managed workplace basic skills at work programmes for Northern Foods, Ford Motor Company and Transport for London. 

Janice Richards

Programme Leader (Business Development and Communications), Mathematics in Education and Industry (MEI)

Janice initially trained and worked in computer systems analysis and design before moving into project management, and she has over 20 years of experience of working in IT in the manufacturing, energy supply and pensions industries. In 2005 she joined MEI, a national maths education charity. Since then Janice has worked in a variety of roles, including Programme Leader (Industry), a key aim of which is to support the development of mathematical skills in the Education and Training sector and in the workplace through professional development, resources, and guidance. In 2014 her role expanded to include new responsibilities, but she continues to develop this aspect of MEI’s work.

Janice has a particular interest in facilitating the transfer of maths skills and knowledge between education and industry. She delivers workshops that bring maths teaching staff and employers together to support this exchange and she has developed guides to encourage the strengthening of mathematical skills during work experience placements. She is currently involved in work on the development of a toolkit to support the development of contextualised teaching and learning resources for GCSE Maths, and also the ET Foundation’s Maths Pipeline programme.

Mike Cooper

Freelance Trainer and Consultant 

Mike Cooper has worked in the post-16 sector for 30+ years, including 17 of those in successful providers, after first working in the school and voluntary sectors. He was also a senior examiner and moderator for ten years with several awarding bodies, primarily in English-related subjects.
  
From 1999, he was LSDA’s Regional Director for the South East, working on many programmes and projects across the FE sector, locally, regionally and nationally. Freelance since 2006, Mike now works with a wide range of sector bodies, providers, networks and other organisations on many different topics and needs – both at sector-wide open events and in-house for networks and individual providers. Much of this has focussed on teaching and learning and quality improvement, with particular relevance to developing learners’ skills in English, and staff skills to support that.

He founded The Policy Consortium, and writes for the education media. American-born, Mike graduated in 1972 from Stuyvesant High School in New York City, then came to the UK for his higher education, and has lived and worked here ever since.

Ruth Bruckshaw

Training Centre Manager, The Skills Company

Ruth is The Skills Company Training Centre Manager in Salford.

Ruth joined The Skills Company formally Skills Solutions 10 years ago as an e2e Tutor. Since then she has become a fully qualified teacher with an English specialism and is now leads the English curriculum across all the Training Centres. Ruth was promoted to Salford Training Centre Manager three years ago.

Previously Ruth worked for the Inland Revenue and then fortunately found her true vocation in post 16 education. Ruth has always believed that young people should be encouraged to achieve all they can and has, for the last 20 years, been actively involved in Guiding UK. Ruth is currently Division Commissioner for Stretford & Old Trafford.

Fiona Baker

Managing Director, Crackerjack Training

My name is Fiona Baker and I have been the Managing Director of Crackerjack Training for nearly 19 years. Crackerjack Training is a Childcare training provider that delivers Level 1 Childcare to the Study Programme, Level 2 and 3 Childcare Apprenticeships and Traineeships. We deliver these qualifications in Birmingham, Solihull, Black Country and Coventry.

I began my career as working as a Nursery Nurse and then progressed within the Child Protection Sector. In 1996 I set up Crackerjack Training and we now employ a team of 30. I have a special interest in Maths.

Claire Bottomley

GCSE and Functional Skills Co-ordinator
Crackerjack Training

My name is Claire Bottomley and I have 13 years’ experience of teaching within the FE sector. I have taught Key Skills, Basic Skills and Functional Skills before GCSE.

My previous employment has given me vast experience in working with offenders, young moms to be, young parents and the travelling community. These were the ‘hardest to reach’ groups and I have had a lot of learners with emotional, personal and social needs. I have worked with a variety of learners who have displayed challenging behaviour in differing forms.
I have worked at Crackerjack Training since March last year.

Previously, I worked as a nursery nurse in day nurseries, preschools and schools. I worked specifically with children with additional needs.

I also have experience of managing a preschool before deciding to change direction and work with older learners.

This is my first year of teaching GSCE English as Crackerjack Training has recently become a GSCE centre. I am looking forward to new challenges that await me.

Michael Smith

Maths and English Co-ordinator in Construction, Barking & Dagenham College

Michael is currently working as an English and Maths Co-ordinator at Barking and Dagenham College and has been teaching in the FE sector since 2009, delivering on English and maths programmes at various levels up to and including GCSE. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (hons) in Linguistics from the University of Hertfordshire, a Post-Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of Essex and is currently undertaking a Masters study into English Education at the Institute of Education.

He has been involved in practitioner based research enquires with organisations including the Sunderland Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training (SUNCETT) and the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) and presented papers at national and international conferences hosted by the ETF and the European Association for Practitioner Research on Improving (EAPRIL).

Jamie Walsh

Business Manager, Skills Plus (Part of Community Learning & Skills Kent)

Jamie Walsh is a Skills Plus Business Manager for Kent Community Learning and Skills. He has worked for CLS for twelve years both as a tutor (in English, maths and ESOL) and a manager, and he currently runs centres that cater to the English and maths needs of a wide section of the West Kent community.